Yvonne Agard Appointed as Chair of the National Export Council

Yvonne Agard Chair of the National Export Council

Yvonne Agard, Executive Director of the Saint Lucia Coalition of Services, has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the National Export Council for the period 2021-2024. Agard has served as a member of the National Export Council from its inception.

Agard’s experience in private sector development spans 25, with the past 11 years spent at the Saint Lucia Coalition of Services. There, Agard was instrumental in the development of Saint Lucia’s Services Strategy and Policy Action plan which was pivotal in strengthening four key service sectors. Agard serves as the Chair of the Technical Committee for Management Services that develops service sector standards within the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards. For the past eight (8) years, Agard has served on the EU CARIFORUM Joint Consultative Council for the CARIFORUM Services Sector.

Agard’s key competencies include cluster development, project management, trade mission planning, and monitoring and evaluation of programs for private sector development. Agard’s skills are supported by educational qualifications including an MBA in Project Management from the University of Reading (Henley), a BSC in Management Studies, and certificates in International Trade Policy and NGO Management from the University of the West Indies. Agard is fluent in both written and oral French after completing a Diplôme de Langue at Alliance Française in Paris.

As per section 9 of the Trade Export Promotion Agency Act of 2013, the current National Export Council includes representatives from the following: The Chamber of Commerce, the Saint Lucia Industrial and Small Business Association, the Saint Lucia Coalition of Services, The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, the Saint Lucia Manufacturers Association, the Saint Lucia Bureau of Stands, four persons from the public sector, specifically the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Tourism, as well as the Permanent Secretary of the ministry responsible for commerce.